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Furious Congress plows forward with TikTok bill after user revolt

Technology,Business,TikTok,US House,National Security,Defense And Security,Cybersecurity,China,Data Privacy

From the Left

Members of Congress are being flooded with calls from angry constituents after TikTok launched a new campaign warning its users that the Chinese-owned app was at risk of being shut down in the U.S.

Why it matters: A key House committee voted unanimously Thursday afternoon to advance bipartisan legislation that would force ByteDance — TikTok's Chinese parent company — to divest its ownership of the app within 165 days.

State of play: The highly unusual 50-0 vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee — which unveiled the bill two days ago alongside the China Select Committee — reflected the level of anger among some members about TikTok's pressure campaign.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) announced Thursday he would bring the "critical national security bill" to the House floor for a vote next week.

The White House has indicated that President Biden would sign the bill, injecting new urgency — and aggression — into TikTok's campaign to counter the yearslong efforts to address the app's national security risks.

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